The Pipestone Wolves

The Pipestone Wolves (ISBN: 9781771606936) from Heritage House is a wolf-focused book that traces the rise and fall of a wolf family in Banff National Park. Günther Bloch, John E. Marriott, and Mike Gibeau examine how a new family that appeared in the winter of 2008–09 quickly established dominance alongside an established group that had been ruling the valley for more than a decade.

The book goes beyond the headlines. It covers how mass tourism in Banff coincided with decreases in prey density, pushing the Pipestones to change hunting strategies and expand their summer range. It also looks at why their dominance didn’t last—pairing increasing pressure from wolf watchers with a shrinking prey base, along with factors like rail mortality and old age—and concludes with insights into what wolf and wildlife management in Banff could improve as the park balances ecological integrity with high visitor numbers.